Madison police arrested a 21-year-old man who posed as an athlete at UW-Madison and stole property from a student after making regular appearances at Witte Residence Hall.
MPD officers charged Riquel “Ricky” R. Lollis with theft, unauthorized use of personal identifying information and bail jumping, according to a Tuesday incident report. Police placed Lollis under arrest at the Dane County Jail where he was already being held for the same offenses.
“Lollis has a history of passing himself off as a UW-Madison student and athlete. He has been arrested several times for theft, trespassing and harassment,” police said. “Lollis is not a UW-Madison student.”
Starting in Nov. 2019, Lollis became a frequent visitor at Witte’s Multicultural Learning Community. Multiple students said Lollis claimed to be a member of UW-Madison’s football and track team, and he often talked about his alleged relationships with other UW athletes and participation in athletic events.
“No one saw this coming,” John* said. “I remember I would come home from class and he would be like, ‘Hey, are you in your room? Can we hang out?’”
John recalled a time when Lollis said he had a track meet in Minnesota and that he would try to come back early to go out with him that same night.
According to Jane*, who also lives on the MLC floor, Lollis regularly showed up on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights — typically when UW-Madison students attend social gatherings — and would often accompany floor members to parties.
Jane also said that students were moving in and out of the MLC over winter break, and that she assumed he would eventually occupy one of the rooms.
“[Lollis was] very unassuming and just nice in general,” Jane said. “I remember seeing his face and smiling and saying hi.”
Trouble began Jan. 24 when Lollis allegedly stole a student’s debit card and made several large purchases. MPD used camera footage where the transactions took place that showed Lollis using the card. Police arrested Lollis shortly after.
While Jane alleged that Lollis stole room keys and occupied empty dorm rooms when students were away, it remains unclear if he stole other student’s property.
*Names have been changed.
